Aemono are usually served very small portions, meant to accompany main dishes or as appetisers.

There is wide range of ingredients and dressings for aemono. Today’s recipe is one of the most basic and popular aemono dressings – Karashi-ae: mustard dressing, and Goma-ae: sesame dressing (this sweet and nutty flavored sesame dressing is my favourite one!).

In Japan, children are taught not to leave even one grain of rice in your rice bowl, because there are seven rice gods residing in every single grain of rice, so we shouldn’t waste them.
This custom to ‘finish all the food served for you’ contains expression of gratitude for food and appreciate farmers who produced the food.

Anyway, I calculated how many rice gods in this rice ball when I was making them today.

100g of rice = about 4300 grains of rice.
I used 300g of rice for 8 small rice balls.
So, 11287 rice gods residing in each rice ball.

Mmm… they must feel so cramped.

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— Grilled Rice Balls with Spicy Miso (8 rice balls) —

300g rice (Japanese short grain white rice, or sushi rice)

420ml water

Some salt

2 tablespoons spring onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons miso paste (light brown coloured miso is preferred)
*please see this link for more information about miso

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

Some sesame oil for frying

1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

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Rinse the rice in a clod water, changing the water several times until the water runs almost clear.

Drain the washed rice in a sieve and place in a saucepan.

Pour 420ml water in the pan and cover with tight-fitting rid.

Bring to the boil over high heat and let cook for 2 minute. Reduce the heat to the lowest and simmer (always cover the pan with a rid) 15 minute. Remove from the heat, still covered, and leave the pan for another 10 minutes.

Place the chopped spring onion, miso paste, mayonnaise, sugar and chilli powder in a small bowl and mix together. Set aside.

Divide the cooked rice into 8 equal portions.

Wet the palms of your hands and then lightly sprinkle them with salt.

Form the rice into circle shape.

Heat a frying-pan on medium heat with a little bit of sesame oil. Fry each side of the rice balls until lightly golden.

Transfer the rice balls onto the baking tray. Spread the miso mixture on the rice balls.

Preheat broiler, position the backing tray approximately 6 inches away from top heating element. Broil about 5 minutes, until the miso mixture starts to brown.

I grew up near the river where salmon are born and return. It was amazing to see how they remember the birthplace and swim back hundreds of miles upstream to reach their home.

Home is special for everybody.

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— Salmon Rice with Spring Onion Salad (serves 2-3) —

300g rice (Japanese short grain white rice, or sushi rice)

420ml water

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

200g salmon fillets

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon sake (rice wine)

60g spring onion

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

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Rinse the rice in a clod water, changing the water several times until the water runs almost clear.

Drain the washed rice in a sieve and place in a saucepan.

Pour the water in the pan and cover with tight-fitting lid.

Bring to the boil over high heat and let cook for 2 minute. Reduce the heat to the lowest and simmer (always cover the pan with a lid) 15 minute. Remove from the heat, still covered, and leave the pan for another 10 minutes.

Roast the sesame seeds in a dry frying-pan over medium-low heat until golden. Set aside.

‘Matcha’ tea powder is made from the whole green tea leaf. Zen Buddhist monks in Japan began drinking Matcha as a meditational drink over 800 years ago, and it’s used in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

To make the sauce: place the mirin in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Add the soy sauce, 100ml of water and dashi powder to the mirin and then bring back to the boil. Remove from the heat, leave to cool.

Roast the sesame seeds in a dry frying-pan over medium-low heat until golden.

Cook the soba noodles in large pot of boiling water until cooked (follow the package directions). Drain and rinse well under cold water and drain again.

Cut the avocado into small pieces, toss with the lemon juice.

Transfer the soba noodles to large bowl. Arrange the grated mooli and avocado. Sprinkle with the chopped spring onion and toasted sesame seeds.

Mix a little bit of wasabi paste into the sauce if you want. Drizzle the sauce over the noodles just before you eat.

This bite-sized Japanese style fried chicken is called ‘karaage’. It’s crisp and juicy, and has a soy sauce based savory flavour.

Karaage makes a great appetizer or light meal, or a perfect picnic snack.
Spring is almost here.

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— Japanese Style Fried Chicken (Serves 2-3) —

400g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine (sake)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

A pinch of black pepper

3 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch

2 tablespoons plane flour

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Lemon wedges for garnish

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Place the soy sauce, rice wine, minced garlic, grated ginger, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and mix to coat well. Let marinate for around 30 minutes.

Heat the vegetable oil to 350F / 180C.

Mix the potato starch and flour in a shallow bowl. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and thorough coat each piece in the flour mixture and shake off excess.

Deep-fry in oil for two times (it makes the chicken crispy outside and juicy inside). First, deep-fry for 90 seconds (deep-fry the chicken pieces a few at a time), transfer them onto a wire rack to drain oil, leave them for 4 minutes. Deep-fry again for 40 seconds or until golden brown. Transfer the chicken onto a wire rack to drain excess oil.

The combination of sweet & savoury miso sauce and silky textured aubergine is just so delicious.

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— Deep Fried Aubergine with Sweet Miso (serves 2) —

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 aubergine

Oil for deep frying

3 tablespoons miso paste (mideum-coloured)

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1&1/2 tablespoon sake (rice wine)

Some chives, finely chopped

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Roast the sesame seeds in a dry frying-pan over medium-low heat until golden. Grind the roasted sesame seeds roughly in a mortar and pestle. Set aside.

Place the sake in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat for about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low, add the miso paste and sugar , stirring occasionally until the sauce is smooth and thickened.

Cut the aubergine into 1 inch thick slices.

Heat the deep-frying oil to 340F/170C, deep-fry the sliced aubergine for about 2 minutes each side until the aubergine becomes tender. Drain the excess oil on kitchen papers.

Spread the sweet miso sauce on the top of aubergine, sprinkle with the grounded sesame seeds and garnish with the chopped chives.

Trim off the bottom of the mushroom stems. Broil the mushrooms until lightly browned. Make the mushrooms into bite sized pieces (slice the shiitake mushrooms, separate the shimeji mushrooms and tear the oyster mushrooms).

Place the rice wine and light soy sauce in a bowl and toss with the bite sized mushrooms.

Place the washed rice and dashi stock in a heavy sauce pan.

Pour the mushrooms and sauce in a bowl in a pan and put the butter on the top. Cover with tight-fitting lid.

Bring to the boil over hight heat and let cook for 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to the lowest and simmer (always cover the pan with a lid) for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat, still covered, and leave the pan for another 10 minutes.

Open the rid, mix gently with a wooden spoon. Garnish with finely chopped chives.